BEDFORD, NH.  Hireskills.com, the Graphic Arts industry's leading internet-based employment service, announced today the introduction of the industry's first web site that merges social networking with education and business, focused on making it easier for the printing industry to attract, retain and hire new talent.
"Hi-Res Skills was designed with the help of some of the leading authorities in the printing industry", said Jack Lecza, Hireskills.com General Manager.  "The Professors and printing industry leaders who helped us architect the site and who will be regular advisors and post on the site are a 'who's who' in today's printing universe.  We understand the realities of manpower requirements in the printing industry, the role of education and the rapid acceptance of social networking as we march into 2008 and beyond, and Hi-Res Skills is optimized for these realities."
"Hi-Res Skills changes the model for hiring in our industry", Lecza continued.  "The existing model is one whereby companies using job boards post jobs and review resumes that are first stored in a database and then automatically sent in response to key word and parameter searches.  The resumes can be outdated, candidates often have little to no applicable experience and the hiring manager and HR departments end up spinning their wheels and spending money needlessly. 
"Within the Hi-Res Skills model we leverage the Hireskills.com database of 28,000 active jobseekers, and hiring managers can interact with the candidates, view screened biographies in our Draft Choices and Free Agents pages, evaluate the depth and character of the candidate through their Blog postings and when there is interest, view their resume, contact the candidate and expedite the hiring process". 
"The hiring process and social networking are well suited to one another, but large job boards are not specialized enough to merge the two in a cost-effective manner.  We are breaking new ground here and are very excited, because we're doing something really, really important for the printing industry", said David Clark, Chairman of Hireskills.com. 
Dr. Harvey Levenson, Chairman of Cal Poly's Graphic Communication Department and Hi-Res Skills Advisor said, "It is a unique capability with noble intentions and can be an important tool for the health and growth of our industry.  I'm delighted to be involved."
John Blanchard, VP of Manufacturing for Reed Business Information and a Hi-Res Skills advisor said, "The growth of social networking and the ability to bring that capability, education and information sharing into a site that transforms the hiring process is exceptional".  In his first Hi-Res Skills blog posting, Blanchard discusses the process that Reed Business Information applied to streamline publishing operations,  resources and technologies across 80 different brands across the corporation, at all organizational levels.
Hireskills.com is very excited about the blog component.  "We have world class advisors to post and comment on posts for every major topic in the graphic arts industry.  These advisors are leaders in key areas like marketing, brand management, packaging, color management, design, publishing, printing processes and more" said Lecza, "This is the core around which the next generation hiring processes will revolve".
JoAnn Hines, noted packaging expert and Hi-Res Skills Advisor said, "This concept has great potential. Packaging is so critical to product marketing and we have so many students in need of resources and expert advice - Hi-Res Skills is the perfect forum for research, information and advice. Hi-Res Skills will allow students to showcase their understanding to hiring managers.  It is a win-win!"
According to David Clark, "It is high time that the Graphic Arts Industry take charge of the diminishing interest by young professionals who are making choices to NOT go into the Industry as they graduate from graphic arts colleges.  Should this trend continue, everyone will suffer from too shallow a pool of young professionals.  Let us, as a united force, encourage them to join the industry and give them a conduit through which they can find good jobs in which they can excel!"
Hi-Res Skills can be accessed from the Hireskills.com homepage at www.hireskills.com or at Http://www.printquest.us/HireSkillsBlog.